“Selina...”

“No.”

“Get out of bed.”

“No.”

“I have marshmallows…”

“Don’t care.”

“Cuddle Tibby?”

“Don’t want to.”

“Let’s talk.”

“No way.”

“Boy trouble?”

Pause.

Holly marched right into the bedroom. The shades had all been pulled down and the room was black as midnight even though the morning was cold and bright from the outside. She grabbed the edge of the blankets and threw them off the bed revealing one annoyed Selina Kyle with her head under two pillows.

“Grmmph!” she grunted, waving a hand about. “Go away.”

“This is pushing it, even for you,” Holly chided her. She sat at the foot of Selina’s bed. “What happened the other night?”

“I was ‘pawned’ by a pixie in green boots,” she mumbled into her pillow.

“Huh?”

Selina reluctantly pulled her head out from its hiding place. Holly was astonished at her friend’s change in character. The formerly sophisticated and confident Selina Kyle now had pale blue bags under her drooping eyes. She looked rather grumpy and tired as she tried to blow some hair out of her face.

“I was this close, Holly. This close to understanding him!” she insisted with an index finger and thumb nearly pressed together. “And little Itty Bitty Boy Wonder had to come in and blow everything away.”

“Aw,” Holly cooed, putting her arms around Selina’s shoulders. She gently rubbed her friend’s arms affectionately. “Poor you. Not every man has such a crazy body guard.”

“I mean it, Holly. I’m through,” Selina announced.

“You can’t mean that!” Holly gasped.

“I do. I don’t want to see or hear from Batman-and especially Robin-ever again.”

The bright orange hair of Holly’s head bobbed up and down madly when she leapt from the bed, waving a clenched fist in the air. “Haven’t you ever heard of, ‘Carpe Diem’? Seize the day, Selina! If you like this guy then go and get him. What are you going to do if someone else snatches him?”

“Stay home in a bubble bath,” Selina replied dully.

“No you won’t. Don’t you know who you are?” Holly cried out. “You’re no quitter, gal. You are Selina Kyle, the most wonderful bachelorette that Gotham has ever had to rob ‘em blind! You wine and dine with Bruce Wayne! You stop idiots in their tracks! You are beautiful and strong and smart and brave! You are—so not giving up.”

Selina ran a hand through her thick mane in careful thought. She vaguely remembered the wonderful rushing thrill of being so close to Batman, being so far from the fear that used to haunt her on stormy nights. She longingly desired to know the man behind the mask who terrorized the corrupt in their city. His solemn elusiveness was the greatest challenge that her lock-picking mind and diligent heart sought to overcome. It just wasn’t like her to be completely flustered over the insults of one small boy.

“Do you really think I should give it another try?”

“If you won’t do it, then hands down Catwoman’s got to save her own hide,” Holly promised her. She pulled out the green goggles from last night’s expedition and handed them to Selina.

Selina starred at the goggles in Holly’s hand, and then looked up to her pleading face.

She thought hard for a moment. Finally, the corners of her mouth began to pull up. Selina’s doubtful look changed into sly amusement. The faint sparkle of her eyes started to rekindle its usual flame of excitement.

“Give me that,” she said, snatching the goggles from Holly. She walked up to her mirror, all the while tossing her black curls back. Selina slipped the goggles over her head and then fitted them perfectly over her eyes.

“All’s fair in love and war, Robin,” she announced to the mirror. “So let’s have a rematch to see who wins the Dark Knight.”

A-A-A

The boys sat cross-legged on the floor of the library while being engrossed in their work. Alfred would have kittens if he saw the condition of the room. Piles of books lay around Dick and Roy, some half opened while others were stacked up three feet high. A mixed bowl of cinnamon and sugar had been confiscated from the kitchen along with several candles. Pillows and ripped magazines lay strewn all over the floor.

“Roy,” Dick winced, watching his friend dump out the dusty contents of a jar. “This is getting kind of stupid.”

“That’s because you’re not taking this seriously,” his friend answered. Roy blew out a match and spread the ashes out on a paper with his index fingers. “I couldn’t find any mummy dust so we’ll have to settle for the burnings of old medical journals.”

“And will it work?”

“Like a charm,” Roy promised him. “Now place your palms face out and concentrate on the incantation.”

“I still think we should find another solution.”

Pause.

“Enjoy the Alps,” Roy said aloud.

Dick got the picture quickly. “Ok, ok, we’ll do it your way. How does the rest of the ceremony go?”

“Open your mouth and say ‘Ah.”

“Ah!” Dick did as he was told.

Roy gingerly put a small spoonful of the sugary mixture on Dick’s tongue. He closed his mouth and swallowed it, enjoying the sweet and spicy taste.

“The sweetness of the incantation is to keep evil spirits away.” Roy explained. He stuck a spoon of it into his own mouth and sucked it clean. Then he took a sip of water from a glass. Roy struck a match and lit the candles around them. When all seven of them were aflame, he blew out the match and retook his seat.

They both put their hands on the floor with palms facing down. “Ahem!” Roy cleared his throat. He straightened his back as stiff as possible and tilted his head upward. “I implore onto you, almighty cosmic tremors in the universe, to aid Richard John Grayson on his quest for justice. Rescue and deliver him from all evil and peril that lurks before him.”

“Keep the treacherous hand of false love and its seductive spell far far away from Bruce Wayne, his guardian, and let him not be seduced like the Men of Galfen in the ‘Doomsday’ Crimson Avenger miniseries.”

“What?” Dick whispered.

“SSSH!” Roy hissed between his teeth. He continued the ceremony in soberness. “May Zal, the god of war, strengthen his loins when he goes forth into battle. Keep not the sun still in the sky but keep his wind above him—Wait! Wait! Backup, backup...”

Roy held a finger up in the air for silence. He glanced aside and looked back down at his book for reference. When he realized that he had not been pronouncing the spell properly, Roy began again in a firm clear voice.

“May X’hal the legendary lord of war that protects Tameran in the star system Vega-keep his wits about him-“

“There’s no such star system,” Dick interrupted.

“What are you, the rabbi of this ceremony?” Roy shot at him. “Now be quiet or I’ll baptize you in Jell-O.”

He dug a hand into his pocket and pulled out a handful of shining marbles. Dick watched his friend place them at intervals around the ashes. Then he clapped his hands three times and began to whistle a strange song.

“Put your fingers on the red and blue marbles and concentrate hard on your prayer.”

Dick rested his fingertips on the smooth cool surface of the glass gems. He breathed out carefully, closed his eyes, and began to speak aloud.

“Um…cosmic universe? If you can hear me, please help Bruce. He’s not only brave and kind but he’s also been the nicest person ever since my parents…” Dick felt his throat get tight at once. He gulped down some air quickly. “Since my parents are gone.”

“He’s treated me like a friend and always taken good care of me. So don’t make him fall into any traps, ok?”

“Now we join hands in solitude and brotherhood and pray that this time of terrible misfortune depart from us like a phantom. In the name of the cosmic universe, HALT!” Roy shouted out this last word so loud that Dick almost jumped.

Roy leaned over and blew out the candles. “Now we’re done,” he assured Dick. He took a piece of paper and started to sweep up the ashes into a small neat pile, then poured them all into a small leather pouch.

“The next time you meet this woman, I want you to throw these ashes into her face,” he instructed Dick. Roy tied the tiny drawstring bag shut and handed it to him.

“You might add the magic word ‘Karatchka!’ in her face.”

“Why?”

“She’ll think you sneezed.”

“Roy…”

“Ok, ok. But if you just make sure she inhales a little bit of it, the curse should work and any plans of evilness should shrivel up in your path. You will be in total confidence and in control of Bruce’s situation.”

Dick slipped the pouch in the deepest pocket of his jeans. “Thanks a ton, Roy. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“Hey, what are friends for?” Roy plunked himself on the ground next to him and threw an arm around Dick’s shoulder cheerily. “Now all we have to do is find some other way to have fun for the next hour. Can we go on the roof?”

“No.”

“Raid Bruce’s closet?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Drive the Rolls Royce?”

“Not in a million years.”

“Bummer,” Roy sulked. “I wish I was 16 already.”

Dick glanced at the clock and got a wonderful idea.

“Tell you what, Roy. Have you ever watched The Mark of Zorro?”

A-A-A

That night:

“You’re up to something,” Batman demanded. He glanced at his partner with careful scrutiny while they got ready for the night’s patrol. “I can feel it.”

“Huh?” asked Robin.

“No need for games, young man.”

The boy just put on his most innocent face while he strapped his utility belt around his waist. His left index finger lightly brushed against a spare compartment where the precious spell dust was hidden inside. He prayed that Batman wouldn’t find it.

“Let’s just go,” he insisted. “Please?”

Noticing Robin’s restless face, the detective gave in with a reluctant sigh. “Fine. But if you’re still mad about you-know-who, I’d rather you get it out of your system.”

Robin managed to give him a relaxed smile. “Thanks Batman, but I’m not worried about it at all. Not anymore.”

He followed his mentor into the plush leather seats of their car. “All right, if you insist.” Batman pressed a button to cover them up with the tinted windows before speeding out of the cave. Robin could barely suppress a smile while he watched the bare trees stream by in a blur of brown and black shadows down the quiet streets. No, he wasn’t concerned at all. Tonight, that pointy-eared Princess of Plunder was going to get her just desserts for her arrogance and incompetent actions.

And Catwoman thinks I’m just a little kid with a teddy bear, he thought to himself with a smirk.

A-A-A

Less than an hour later, Dark Knight and Boy Wonder alike were crawling on their hands and knees in an underground rusty metal labyrinth. The sound of mild scuffling echoed vaguely down the winding pipe that seemed to run on for an eternity. Robin was gripping tightly onto the end of a grappling line that ran back securely into Batman’s hand. His former life as a trapeze artist gave him supreme confidence over fears of heights but being trapped underground and buried alive in a never-ending grave was a tremendous horror to Robin.

“Stay close. These tunnels run around the city for over fifty miles,” he was cautioned.

“Why didn’t they tear down the old subway system yet anyway?” Robin asked.

“The city wanted to spray it down first to clean out all the rats and bugs. But there was no way to let it all circulate without causing problems in the air and the pesticide can be highly flammable-“

“D-did you just say rats?” Robin stammered. He gulped nervously, shining his flashlight right behind him in case the gnarling little gray creatures were prowling close by.

“Don’t worry, Robin. We won’t find any nests in these tunnels.”

Robin prayed not. He recalled the sooty powder in his utility belt and wondered if he could possibly use just a tiny pinch of it to keep the creepy crawlies away. Maybe the spell wouldn’t work on rats—only cats. Maybe it couldn’t help.

“Can’t hurt either,” he thought to himself. Robin carefully stretched a hand down to his belt and removed the drawstring pouch, keeping it tight in his left gloved hand.

Batman turned behind him and brought a finger to his lips in silence. Robin stopped moving. He heard a scrapping sound followed by men talking. Batman pointed his finger up and Robin noticed booted feet standing on top of the metal grating. The familiar sputter of a cigarette lighter echoed overhead.

“Come on!”

They scrambled on and on down the tunnel. Robin was so busy that he accidentally tripped over his own cape and landed flat on his face. His flashlight hit the ground too, snapping off and plunging him into darkness.

“My pouch!” he cried out. Robin began to panic, fumbling in the dark for the small bag with his fingers but all was in vain. He finally managed to get a grip on the firm handle of his flashlight. He quickly turned it on. The boy glanced up and down, back and forth. There was no sign of the familiar black cape. The boy frowned. Wasn’t he right behind him? He looked over his shoulder.

Nobody.

“B-Batman?” he stammered weakly. His voice gave off a meek echo in the tunnel.

Don’t panic he told himself. Robin tried to keep his breath steady but his stomach felt sickly hollow and his knees trembled beneath him. Don’t panic. Got to stay focused.

He shined his flashlight down the tunnel skeptically. The only logical thing was to turn around and head out the way they came. Robin stuck his flashlight into his mouth so he could use both hands to prop himself up and squeeze through a tight turn on the left. Then he took the flashlight out of his mouth and continued the anxious search, hoping to find some trace of his partner.

Don’t think about rats. Don’t think about rats. Don’t think about rats.

Robin pulled out a small transmitter from his utility belt and pressed down on the button with his thumb. Static fizzled in the air around him, much to the boy’s frustration. Radio waves were probably useless all the way down here.

Robin continued on his search for what felt like hours. After what seemed like an infinity of time, his trustworthy flashlight managed to locate a familiar round piece of metal lodged in the top of the tunnel. Robin turned off the flashlight and reached for that round piece of metal.

“Bingo,” he whispered to himself softly, fingers lightly examining the manhole.

It was stuck tight but Robin had been well trained in these delicate situations. A beaker of acid was swiftly removed from his belt and applied to key places on the metal. He worked patiently, making sure that the tiny hissing deadly drops did not land on his skin whatsoever. At last, Robin pushed with both fists and the loose edges of the rim started to tremble and give way.

A masked youthful head peeped out of the manhole and blue eyes flickered at the current surroundings. “Uh oh,” he muttered. The boy scrambled to the top of the manhole, put both hands on the pavement, and hosted himself up. He came out and squinted around him. Run down buildings, graffiti-sprayed walls, tin cans, and stray mewling cats were scattered around the haphazard part of Gotham City.

Robin was in the Narrows.

Big trouble.

He fumbled for his communicator. Robin urgently pressed the button and attempted to speak as calmly as possible without stuttering away.

“Batman? It’s me. Um, I’m in the Narrow but there’s no street signs. If you can track this signal, p-please come and get me ASAP cuz this gives me the...”

“Hey, kid.”

Too many of them. He turned around and saw too many of those oversized ugly smelly creeps that breed this area like cockroaches. They wore heavy combat boots over ripped jeans and their eyes were all bloodshot from drinking. Several of them were carrying lead pipes.

He may have been able to escape but fear had paralyzed Robin’s body from fighting properly. He charged towards the closest one without even seeing the brass knuckles on his wrist. A crashing sound echoed in Robin’s head from the collision of metal with his forehead. He staggered back, blinking against the stars that winked inside of his head.

“Not so tough without your daddy, are you?’ one laughed in a greasy voice.

Two of them grabbed his arms and another grabbed his legs. Robin was pinned down to the ground while they gave off raspy laughs, tightening their grips on the newly caught prey.

“My, what fun we’re going to have with you.”

“Lets take him to Dr. Crane and watch the boy squirm,” another suggested.

Robin’s throat filled with air just before he started yelling at the top of his lungs. “HELP! HELP!” he began to scream.

A-A-A

Elsewhere in Gotham City:

The snow-dusted streets of 5th Avenue were sprawling with pedestrians who whisked to and fro purchasing roses, jewelry, wine, and whatnot for the upcoming sentimental holiday. Despite the twinkling gold lights that graced bare trees and gave them a charming touch, she was not pleased with the pretties at all.

Catwoman stopped tapping her boot against the tiles. She paced up and down the rooftop impatiently with hands on her hips. She had been looking and sneaking and searching for half the night without a single sign of anything that remotely looked like a cape. Nothing.

Maybe he was hurt. Or the kid was hurt.

That’s it. Why else would Batman not be out unless his trustworthy sidekick was in danger?

Call it the cat’s instincts but something told her that tonight’s venture would be proven futile unless she was willing to get her hands down and dirty. Catwoman began her nightly sprint over the rooftops before jumping off a building and landing nimbly on a speeding train. She flattened herself to the cool metal top and listened to the sound of the wind singing a high whistle through her ears until they reached the ruins of the old bank.

The train gradually began to slow down until it came to its final destination. The doors parted and the last of the passengers shuffled off the train while Catwoman slipped off and landed on the other side on all fours. There was the sound of clicking when the conductor stuck his key into a slot and shut down the train for the night. Then he too left the stop and she was all alone.

For a moment there was no sound except for the faintest bit of breathing that came from her nose and mouth in quick tiny white puffs.

Then she heard somebody screaming.

Catwoman’s sharp ears picked up the cries, carrying her across the lot and further down into the slimier parts of Gotham. She hated the Narrows. It was like being curled up in a nest of vipers and even that was an insult of vipers. Catwoman skidded to an alarming halt when she located the place where the cries were coming from.

“Oh my god,” she whispered to herself.

Robin was being pinned down by some of the biggest ugliest thugs she had ever seen. She had briefly seen him fending off a few thugs with success but he looked badly outnumbered tonight. There was no sign of Batman whatsoever. This wasn’t a test.

One of them shoved a cloth into Robin’s mouth to gag him. The boy kept giving off muffled screams until they kicked him with their boots.

She was getting that cold crawling feeling on the back of her neck, banishing all other personal grudges from her mind. He may be a little brat but no kid on the face of this earth deserved it. She had seen more than enough abuse, torment, and humiliation to children in her past lifetime in the slime of Gotham. No one was getting away with this.

She jumped down from her hiding place and pounced on the biggest one. He landed flat on his back with one angry hissing cat in his face.

“What the h..”

She grabbed his throat with one clawed hand and proceeded to block his windpipe. Two razor sharp fingers trailed down his rough cheek. “Backoff, creeps. The kid’s with me.”

She jumped off him and took a protective stance over Robin’s body just as they began to circle her. The men all looked at their new adversary with a mixture of disdain and amusement.

“Hey guys, get a load of this chick,” another one laughed.

“Chick? You mean kitty.”

Catwoman’s fingers curled around the handle of her weapon. “Oh, you boys are just asking to play it rough, aren’t you?” she smirked.

They were all reaching for their weapons by the time her whip tasted their skin. She snapped, cracked it, licked it, lashing across their wrists and faces. Those that went scrambling about were answered with karate kicks to the chops, fists smashing their skulls into walls. Two thugs tried to pin her arms behind her back and were answered with sideways kicks to the groin. Her arms and legs flew like a ninja, the years of martial arts experience all unleashed onto these demons with full vengeance.

When it looked like they had had just enough, she slipped her hands under Robin’s arms and began to drag him backwards into the alleyway.

BANG!

She almost jumped when a chunk of concrete blew up from a stray bullet. The gang leader was still standing with one black eye and one pistol in a bruised hand.

“I’m taking your bird and all yer nine lives, Tuna Breath!” he roared at her. The pistol was aimed at her head.

Panic was the last ting on her mind but it was time to get going. Catwoman pulled out her last resort-a small green gas pellet-and hurled it at their feet. The fumes of knockout powder swam before their eyes, sending them into fists of coughing and chocking.

“C’mon, c’mon,” she hissed between her teeth, struggling to drag Robin somewhere safe. Her boot almost fell back into the manhole when she moved backwards, which gave her an idea.

Catwoman dropped Robin’s limp body back into the place he just got out of. Then she nimbly jumped back into the sewer behind him and sealed off the manhole. She could still hear the men fighting back the smoke above her. They were firing off rounds from the guns in fury from being beaten by a female cat burglar and yelling at one another for their foolish mistakes.

Robin’s head rolled aside and he moaned softly.

“Sh!” she hissed, knowing it was a ridiculous thing to say to someone who just had his lights punched out.

She bit her lips fretfully. If anything made so much as a sound in the next two minutes, they’d be bullet-ridden like Swiss cheese.

The wailing sound of sirens flooded her with relief. There was scuffling heard above them as the thugs were being rounded by police cops and shoved into cars. Catwoman kept crouched at the bottom of the tunnel and waited for the last car to pull away and leave them securely concealed in the darkness.

Catwoman allowed herself a small breath of relief and a moment to collect her thoughts together. She looked down at the injured boy. It really didn’t make any sense to leave him here like this, did it?

“How’d you like a punch in the nose?”

Then again, it wasn’t really any of her business. He was rude to her, always coming between her and the man she loved without a trace of respect for an outsider. This spiteful little boy had been an ongoing thorn in her side. She didn’t owe him a thing.

But then her conscience pricked at her in retribution. What if she left him here to die? Batman would hate her for certain. Even if her charisma had gotten her out of tangled situations before, this time his wrath would consume all hopes of ever getting closer to him. And besides, Robin did look rather helpless right now.

“Face it. You were once helpless and scared kitten just like him,” a small voice chided her. “Don’t act like it doesn’t matter because it really does.

“You would know. Holly would know.”

Catwoman bent over, pulled Robin’s arm around her shoulder, and hosted him up onto her back. She started walking back to her hideout in slow careful steps. He wasn’t heavy for his age but the added weight did slow her steps down.

“The things I do for you,” she muttered under her breath.

“Uhhn..” came a soft moan into her ear. He mumbled something about chocolate cake and then drifted back into oblivion.

“Just a kid,” she reminded herself, mouth pulling up to reassure herself. Somehow, the burden didn’t seem so demanding right now.

A-A-A

“Clubhouses,” Holly called them. They were little holes in the wall where they could hide from time to time in case of an emergency. Two were all-furnished apartments in much cheaper buildings but the rent was a good enough disguise for her. No one would bother them now.

Catwoman lifted up the latch to the window and climbed in. She breathed a sigh of relief when she was able to lower the boy down onto the couch. What a workout. Catwoman fetched herself some bottled water in the fridge and then came back into the living room to examine her guest.

He was lucky. Robin had one small bruise on the back of his neck and a few minor cuts and scrapes, but that was about it. The assistance of a handy first aid kit was produced from the bathroom. He never stirred once all the while his wounds were cleaned with iodine and patched up properly. Catwoman took more than just a few pains to fix a nasty cut right below his left elbow that had barely stopped bleeding. It must have been a switchblade, judging by her past experiences with those goons.

“Monsters,” she thought angrily, tying off the last gauze bandage around his arm. When Catwoman was done, she took a seat upon the worn leather chair and folded herself up to cool down a bit. She rested her head against a hand, carefully scrutinizing her small guest.

Curious is as curious does. Catwoman could not resist seeing what he looked like under his mask. After a moment of careful hesitation, she knelt down to the sleeping child until they were almost eye to eye. A clawed hand gingerly reached out towards his face in a daring attempt to expose his true face. Robin didn’t stir.

Her fingertips lightly touched the corners of his mask and she carefully removed the black cloth. A faint shadow vanished from Robin’s face. Catwoman had to resist gasping.

Robin’s mask had been hiding a very sweet and almost innocent face. He couldn’t have been more than 11, barely 12. His eyelashes were long and dark and they left half-moon circles on his cheeks. A few locks of black hair gracefully swept across his forehead to only enhance the sharp but delicate features.

“His mother must have been a beautiful woman,” she thought to herself, unknowingly brushing a few strands of hair out of his face. He continued to release soft even breaths while he slept.

Not wanting to be caught in the act, she quickly put the mask back on him. He actually looked pretty cute-the kind of kid you’d be happy to spend time with; smart, warm, caring, and a bit funny.

She had made herself a cup of coffee and was sifting through some older newspaper articles when Robin began to stir.

“Uhn?” he gurgled, trying to collect his thoughts together. The boy’s head jerked around the room before finally landing on his savior.

Catwoman put down her magazine and crossed her long legs together. “Welcome back,” she said to him. Robin just touched his bandaged head in confusion. Then he began to scowl at her.

“What’s going on here, Catwoman? Why did you bring me here? What do you want with me?” he shot at her.

“Time out, Bird Boy. You’d be chopped suey if I hadn’t dragged your sorry butt away from those jerks so don’t start reading my rights just yet,” she cautioned him.

He glowered at her in suspicion. “How do I know you didn’t hire ‘em to separate me from Batman so you could dump me in the bottom of the river?”

Catwoman slammed down her magazine angrily. “Listen to me, Robin,” she cautioned with one sharp finger pointed at him. “You’ve got a lot of nerve to call me different names but let me get this one fact nailed into your Halloween-masked head: I am not a killer. Never was, never will be. Got it?” she hissed viciously.

“Got it,” he whispered meekly. She could be really scary sometimes.

Green eyes daggered in his direction for a minute until she regained control over her blood pressure. Then Catwoman relaxed her shoulders and breathed out before slowly crossing the room over to where he was sitting.

“Sorry,” he said in a glum tone. Robin paused and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “And, um, thanks for saving my life.”

She tossed her black mane back fretfully. “I didn’t save your life, kid. Just wanted those bullies to stop picking on you.”

“Well, thanks for that too,” he whispered. His voice had gotten faint and meek. He sounded ashamed of himself for making rash judgments. Robin knew he had already lost the “magic” powders so he’d have to rely on wits alone to get himself out of this jam.

“Why do you hang around him anyway?” she blurted out all of a sudden.

“Huh?”

“Batman. What’s he to you?” Catwoman asked him.

“Brace yourself Selina. He could be married. He could be married… “

Robin dropped his head and his voice had gotten much softer. “He…he saved me. I lost my mom and dad,” Robin’s lower lip trembled slightly when he spoke. “It was awful. I was so lost and scared and confused and I didn’t know what to do. A terrible man was going to get me too, but Batman rescued me. Helped me bring justice. Taught me how to be brave and strong. He’s the best friend anyone could ever have.”

Catwoman had only been paying close enough attention to the first part of his story.

“Your mom and dad?”

“Yeah.”

“So…he’s not your father.”

“What? No way!” Robin insisted.

“Is he married?”

“Heck, only I’d know. And he’s not.”

“Are you sure?”

”Totally. You got the picture or do I have to draw one for you?”

Relief flooded through her like a warm bath. Catwoman suddenly bent over and cupped the boy’s tender cheeks in her palms, almost squeezing his face together too tight. To her, Robin was now the most adorable wonderful child in the entire world. “I could just kiss you for that,” she declared.

He broke out of the grip and scrambled back away from her to the edge of the sofa. “Woah woah, time out, lady!” Robin begged, waving his hands in front of him as a shield. “Don’t play the both of us!”

She started to laugh. “Of course not, kid. You’ve just gotten a heavy weight off my chest.”

He awkwardly eyed her.

“What do you like so much about him anyway?” Robin asked her. “I mean, as a partner and like a big brother he’s really cool to me and protects good people. But what do you see in him?”

She drew her arms around herself in a slow hug. “What a girl wants to find in a man is someone who can help her find better things in herself.”

“What?”

“You said it yourself: people think I’m just a petty thief. He sees more than that in me. I keep hoping that we can understand each other.”

Robin sucked in a breath. “Did you lose your parents too?”

He watched her drop her arms nonchalantly, pacing the room like a brooding cat.

“Actually Boy Wonder…they lost me.”

“How?”

Catwoman felt something warm and strong swirling inside of her. The struggle of suppressed memories was rising up and insisting to answer the curious boy’s questions.

“We were split up,” she confessed. “I was sent to a school that was supposed to ‘discipline’ ungrateful little girls. But they were the monsters. They beat us. Hurt us. Humiliated us. To those ‘teachers’ I was just a wild little animal that had to be locked up in a cage.”

He felt like someone was punching him in the stomach again and again from her biting words. It was hard to believe that someone as cheeky and clever as Catwoman had actually once been a frightened little girl.

She gripped the handle of her whip while she talked. “I made a promise to myself that no one would try to take my life from me again. So I ran away. I started a new life for myself-a stronger and better one. People learned to respect me instead of hate me. I became almost a whole new person but my promise never changed. Nobody would hurt me or my friends aga…”

She frowned and stopped talking. “Why on earth am I telling you this anyway?”

“Its, ok,” Robin assured her. “I was listening and it’s kind of interesting, your life. You kind of remind me of him from your story.”

Her ears perked up with interest. “Really?”

“Well, uh,” he cleared his throat. “And um, I really don’t know much about what guys and girls want but,.. there’s something my mom used to say that might help.”

“What’s that?”

“She said, ‘Love’s not just about gazing into each other’s eyes, but gazing out in the same direction.”

“Same direction,” Catwoman murmured, tactfully absorbing the boy’s words. She suddenly snapped her fingers so hard that Robin jumped from the sound. He watched her snatch out a water-stained map and spread it out on the table, her fingertips trailing over the marked lines again and again. To him, it looked like a basic map of Gotham City in red and blue lines.

“Same direction..right here!” she said at last, pointing to a small dot on the map.

“What is it?” he asked, glancing over her shoulder.

“Think, Wonder Boy. You and Batman keep busting the rings but they keep cranking out thousands of dollars in drugs a week. Somebody’s a good delivery man.”

“Probably millions,” he added. Then a thought illuminated Robin’s mind. “Wait a second! Are you saying it’s not in the city where the problem is but how they’re getting the drugs out?”

“Bingo,” Catwoman said, rolling up her map. “And I can only think of one place where they’d be able to smuggle so much stuff out in such a public place.”

“Where?”

“I’ll tell you on the way there. Lets go.” Catwoman tossed the map away, snatched her whip, and climbed onto the fire escape.

“Here? Now? Why?” Robin blurted out.

She had already clambered out of the window and was swinging her way down the iron beams of the fire escape. Not wanting to be left behind, Robin followed her outside and down the stairs with the friskiness of a kid on the monkey bars.

“Hey, wait up!” he shouted.

Catwoman landed on all fours gracefully. Robin landed on his backside with a THUMP. She grabbed his wrist and quickly pulled him to his feet, then started running up the street. He tagged at her heels while he ran as fast as he could.

“Come on, kid! We’ve got some junkies to catch!”

“But,” he panted. “How far do we have to go?”

“To the Gotham History Museum, silly.”

He stopped in his tracks. “That’s forty blocks away!” he blurted.

“Then we’d better start moving.”

Robin waved his arms up and down. “Um, hello? Underage person here? I don’t have a set of spare tires in my utility belt. I don’t even have a license!”

“Who said anything about a car?” she smiled at him. Catwoman pointed to a row of large black motorcycles lined up outside a bar.

“But that’s stealing,” he started to say. She was already selecting a particular set of wheels and throwing a leg on the other side.

“It’s called borrowing. Are you coming or not?” she demanded.

This is nuts! The city’s biggest thief wants me to ride a Harley with her at two in the morning! But yeah, she did bail me out and she could be onto something. Batman, what would you do in a time like this?

“Hurry up, Pixie Boots. Get on!” she yelled, breaking his train of thought.

“Don’t call me that,” he insisted. Robin made his choice and climbed onto the motorcycle until he was sitting right up behind her. Catwoman handed him a helmet and he found himself putting it on without even considering his actions.

“Ok, Robin. Hang on tight!” She gripped the handles of the bike and the motor began to growl and sputter before coming to life in a constant rumbling sound.

“Hey, that’s MY bike!” A rather drunken man had slurred his words out on the way from too much beer and was leaning in the doorway. Two of his friends were also coming out.

“Go go go!” Robin begged her.

Va-VA-VROOOM!

The motorcycle took off like a bullet out of a gun. He would have fallen with a WHAM onto the pavement had he not thrown his arms around her waist and hugged as tight as he could. Catwoman steered the motorcycle through traffic with zipping time while she accelerated on the gas, a steely glint in her eye.

Robin tried very hard not to think about the fact that he was literally squeezing this woman for dear life while cars and taxis zipped by them in a blinding blur of red and silver lights. It was a heck of a lot noisier than riding in the Batmobile. The wind screeched in his ears and made his cape flap noisily as they sped down the highway and through a tunnel at 60 miles an hour. He shut his eyes tightly and tried very hard not to think about throwing up.

“Don’t worry, kid. You’re not going to die,” she promised over her shoulder.

“Who’s worried?” he yelled over the thundering noise of the engine.

A-A-A

“Jim is going to kill me,” he muttered to himself.

Batman slowly stood up from his crouching position at the edge of the manhole. Judging by the wet marks from shoe imprints, Robin had been here-and not alone. His whereabouts would have to be tracked down as soon as possible or the commissioner would never talk to the Dark Knight again. Jim Gordon had made it clear to Batman that if he ever endangered that boy’s life then it would be curtains for him.

The small beeping sound from a particular mechanism was going off from his utility belt. Batman pulled it out, his eyes carefully scrutinizing the tiny screen. They darkened at once when the display revealed a handful of men passing boxes in and out of a truck. Last night’s interrogation that included a grabbling hook and some bullies so scared that they almost wet their pants dangling at thirty stories above the street had only proved their stupidity.

He couldn’t make out the exact location but a slightly fuzzy picture in the background was enough for the detective to put the pieces together: a statue of a lion.

The Dark Knight found himself contemplating with a very difficult issue. His first priority would be to discover where Robin was, but his gut instincts kept insisting that this trail had be tracked down piping hot. Nevertheless, the boy’s safety was at stake. How much time and risk was worth taking the other route?

“Car 94, we have a lead at the 32-A center highway and are tracking two people down into the other district..”

He adjusted the radio transmitter in his cowl to tune in on the police report. Somebody was playing “tag” at this late hour and meanwhile, two shipments of drugs had just left out of Stonegate Bridge.

Beep! Beep! Beep! The palm-computer was going off again. He quickly examined it. A blinking red dot on the map confirmed his suspicions and gave him relief. It was Robin’s tracking signal!

There was no time to lose. He got into his car and sped off as fast as he could while the computer continued to point Batman into the correct location. He was astonished to find that the signal wasn’t pointing further into the Narrows, but right into the media district of the city.

Everything was supposed to be closed. However, the Batmobile came to screeching halt in front of the Gotham Museum when he noticed two unconscious guards slumped on the steps. Batman ran up to them and examined their pulses. They’d be fine except for a splitting headache or two once they came about.

Poised with a trademark batterang in one hand, he pressed himself against the wall and cautiously listened through the door. Sounds of scuffling and yelling could be heard from inside. Batman switched his choice of arsenal to an explosive and hurled it at those massive oak doors. They were blasted apart within an instant and he tore through the smoke towards the center of the museum.

Batman stopped in his tracks when he saw what-and who-was before him.

He had expected burglars rioting or a hostage attack. Instead, he found Catwoman and Robin were both beating the stuffing out of the museum guards. The Boy Wonder had been using a lance against his attackers while she was content with her whip’s results. An overturned crate of drugs had contents that were spilling out into the base of the green-tinted fountain in the center of the room. Walkie-talkies lay crushed on the floor and it looked like someone had slipped on a pile of extra pamphlets.

“What on earth is going on here?”

“Sorry, Batman! Can’t talk!” Robin piped up. He jumped down from a crystal case and landed two square kicks at the guards. Robin laughed and hooted aloud. “Hey, Princess! Having fun yet?” he called across the room.

“A barrel of monkeys,” she answered, tugging hard on her whip so her prisoner was smashed against the wall. She gingerly stepped over his knocked-out body and looked up at Batman with a hand on her hip.

“About time you showed up,” she smiled. “Care to help wrap this up?”

The air was full of punches and kicks for the next three minutes. Whoever didn’t get his clock licked tried to run away and managed to find a mask or a weapon up in his face. At last, all of the attackers were brought down.

Catwoman wiped her gloved hands together in satisfaction. “Thanks a lot. We would’ve been at this for another twenty minutes if you hadn’t shown up.”

Robin slid down the marble staircase on both feet, leapt into the air, and landed straight up with hands out before them. “Fine with me. What a great workout.”

“Yeah, you did pretty good there, kid.”

“You think so?” he beamed. “We found our center nest, Batman,” he added proudly.

“And just in time,” he said. “How did you figure out they were shipping the drugs from here?”

Robin shrugged. “I didn’t know exactly, but she had a hunch.” He pointed to Catwoman who had picked up two guards by the scruff of their necks and held them up close to Batman.

“Here are your stool pigeons,” she announced, throwing them down hard so they landed flat on their faces. Batman turned the brown-haired man over and he recognized the face immediately.

“That’s one of Contandino’s men. Stolen the uniforms during their off hours.”

“And that’s why he didn’t suspect them?” Robin asked.

“Correct. I already checked out the bodega and he came out clean. His errand boys are a different story. Where are the other drugs?” Batman said.

“Checkout the Grecian urns on the fourth level exhibit,” Catwoman informed him. “They’ve been stuffing them to the brims.”

“And then shipping everything out at night after the tourists go home,” Batman mused aloud, rubbing his chin in thought. “It sounds almost brilliant. No wonder we couldn’t find out where they were hiding this junk. Security has been so tight on the artifacts during visiting hours that they’d never assume anyone would pull off more than a simple break-in at night.”

“Elementary, my dear Dark Knight,” Catwoman said, touching two fingers to her lips and very impressed.

“We’re not through yet!” one man shouted, struggling to his feet. He whipped out a pistol from his belt.

SHOOOM!

Something long and thin whizzed through the air, piercing the weapon and pinning it to the wall. Batman and Robin looked up at the balcony to see where the arrow came from. Robin did a double take when he saw the green-clad man with a quiver on his back and a jaunty cap on his blonde head. His eyes almost got as big as saucers.

“Holy Mackerel!” he shouted. “It’s Green Arrow!”

The Emerald Archer jumped down from his spot and landed with a thump of his heavy army boots. Robin’s gaze ran up and down the man dressed in a green tunic, his tough arms bound in leather straps and a bright green mask concealing his eyes. He clutched a large bow in one fist.

Then Robin noticed a small figure standing next to Green Arrow. He also wore fighting gear, a hat, and a mask but his were all crimson red. Robin felt a rush of excitement go through him when he noticed it was a boy just about his age and height.

“Just in time for cleanup,” Batman said calmly.

“These scumbuckets were also running the trade into Star City as well,” Green Arrow informed him. “I thought we’d come over and tie up any loose ends.”

There was a scuffling sound behind everyone. One of the guards was on his feet and trying to make a beeline for the exit.

Green Arrow glanced at his partner. “Speedy.”

“I got it, GA.” Robin watched the boy fit an arrow into his bow and pull it up to his cheek. With careful scrutiny and aim, he released the arsenal and it hit the man’s sleeve, sticking him to the wall.

Speedy lowered his bow and beamed proudly at Robin. The two boys walked up to one another and squarely sized each doppelganger up and down as they stood face to face.

“Nice cape,” Speedy smirked.

“Nice hat,” Robin shot back.

Then Speedy looked up at Catwoman. He whistled not-too-softly between his lips. “Hoot-cha-cha!” he said aloud. “I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

“Aren’t you a bit too young?” she glanced down at him.

“For you, gorgeous? Nah,” Speedy seized one of her hands. “Would you bear my children?”

A hand grabbed the back of his collar and yanked Speedy away.

“Down boy,” Green Arrow chided his partner. He turned back to the woman. “Sorry about that Miss, ah..”

“Catwoman,” Batman interrupted. “Catwoman, meet Green Arrow. Green Arrow, Catwoman.”

“Enchanted,” she said, accepting his hand graciously.

“Gotham PD, FREEZE!”

Commissioner Gordon burst into the museum, all armed to the teeth. He had been expected a mausoleum running amuck with thieves, criminals, and psychopaths. Instead, he found three dozen neatly tied-up and gagged victims sitting in a corner and a watery mess of cocaine oozing in a fountain. Before him were one Emerald Archer, two masked teenaged sidekicks, one purple-and-black spandex clad Princess of Plunder, and one caped and cowled Dark Knight.

The commissioner put down his gun, scratching his head in bewilderment. “Will somebody please tell me what’s going on here?” he demanded.

“It’s all right, Jim. They’re with me,” Batman assured him.

“All of them?”

“Yes.”

“Hrumph.” He walked up the tiled steps towards the costumed characters. “I’ve heard decent things about you,” he said to Green Arrow.

“Likewise, Commissioner.”

Then he saw Speedy and groaned. “Oh god, not you too.”

“What? Chicks dig the masks,” he grinned away, still winking at Catwoman.

“She’s already spoken for,” Robin informed Speedy.

“Oh yeah, who?”

“You.” Robin pointed to Batman. He looked just as befuddled as Catwoman from the cheerful boy’s remark. Had the Boy Wonder suddenly taken a change at heart?

“I thought,” Batman said slowly. “That you severely disagreed with my outside alliances.”

“Well,” Robin paused. He gently nudged Batman closer to her. “I guess it’s all right if you two date for a while.”

“What?” Catwoman gasped.

“I believe my faithful partner has just given you his approval. That is something not to be taken lightly,” Batman advised her. She looked down at her toes and blushed modestly.

“Ahem!” Green Arrow coughed loudly into his fist for attention. “I’ll just get these two boys out of the way for you,” he offered. “Pint-sized superheroes don’t need to be around for cleanup duty, do they Commissioner Gordon?”

He shook his head, pulled out a walkie-talkie, and began to give orders to his men. “You’d all better clear out before the press finds you,” he advised them, covering the walkie-talkie with his mouth.

“Robin, can you meet me at the bridge?”

“Sure thing.”

“All right, kids. Time to wrap things up.” Robin and Speedy followed Green Arrow out of the museum while Catwoman and Batman decided to make an exit together.

Speedy took one last glance over his shoulder and watched the Princess of Plunder follow the Dark Knight with gleeful anticipation. “You think those two are going to get into trouble?” he asked, jerking a thumb behind him.

“I used to think so. But not now,” Robin said happily. “Good luck or bad luck, I guess it all depends on how you look at how things turn out.”

“You hear that, GA? It isn’t my fault about the bologna incident.”

“Last time you stakeout at a deli counter, kid.” The two boys scrambled to keep up with Green Arrow’s fast strides, all the while gasping for breath with slightly silly grins on their faces.

“Huh. I still think you should talk to your boss about a fashion makeover in a few years,” Speedy told Robin.

He starred down at his attire in alarm. “What’s wrong with my uniform?”

“Nothing..if you like green underpants,” Speedy snickered.

“They’re shorts, not underpants!”

“Whatever.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Robin said. “If you drop the hat, I’ll start wearing tights.”

“Blue ones?”

“Sure.”

“Fine.”

“Deal?”

“Deal.”

They shook hands on it.

“When’s the next time you’ll come to Gotham?” Robin asked.

“Ah, whenever GA says we can get the scoots on Star City. But I don’t know if I’d have the guts to do it all the time. Your city is kind of crazy,” he said as he rotated his index finger around his ear.

“Excuse me? I’m not the one flirting with a woman ten years older than me!”

“Ha ha ha! Yeah, what’s next? A talking robot? Underwater prince? No no, wait, I got it! An alien from outer space who can shoot lasers from her eyes!”

“Speedy, pigs will fly before I see any of that stuff.”

“Green pigs,” he corrected him.

A-A-A

It was a beautiful night. The moon was a silver sickle gradually being masqueraded under the guise of thick clouds. The air around them was crisp and clear but also quite cold. She rocked back and forth on one heel to another to keep her pulse moving.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For saving my boy’s life. And for trusting us.”

“You’re welcome.”

She carefully balanced her words on the tip of her tongue before speaking to him again.

“I should have told you earlier on, but-I was too scared. Too scared that you might have other strings attached,” Catwoman confessed.

He stood in silence for her to go on.

“I trust you more than I believe but I can’t compromise on my own secrets.” She touched her own mask gently as she spoke.

“There’s another man in my life and he’s too good of a friend for me to abandon. I’m not a player. I won’t lie to you. I just wanted you to know...I still think about you all the time.”

She waited for his response, her heart beating with tremendous trepidation.

“Fine,” he said at last.

“Fine?”

“Fine. If you need to share part of your life with someone else, I understand, Selina. I trust you’ll tell me when you’re ready.”

Her lips trembled with relief. She took a step closer to him until she could feel his cape brushing against her body. Her knees trembled weakly. She parted her lips and whispered faintly, “Can I still share a part of your life too?”

The warmth of the cape and strong arms swept around her slim body and held her closer to him than she could ever imagine. A mouth pressed against hers in a long melting blossoming kiss that left her tingling all over from head to toe. She pulled her hands securely around his neck to hold herself into that blissful position for as long as she could.

“It’s snowing,” he murmured into her ear.

She blinked and gazed up at the sky. Tiny delicate bits of lace-like powder were twinkling on the way down and gathering at their feet as fresh new snow. She smiled contently and nuzzled against him, savoring the sensation as their bodies nearly melted into each other in security against the biting night chill.

Somehow, the embrace felt familiar yet vague to Catwoman.

A-A-A

The next day:

DING-DONG!

“Coming, coming,” Alfred said, making his way to the front door. It swung open and he was face to face with the cheery bright smile of a familiar freckle faced and redheaded boy. He carried a towel under one arm.

“Morning Alfred!” Roy beamed. “Is Dick home?”

“I believe so, considering he told me about your visit for a swim. Do come in, Roy.”

“Don’t mind if I do. Thanks, Alfred.” Roy followed the butler into the mansion and was led down the corridor towards the back of Wayne Manor.

The indoor pool room was comfortably warm and heated up just right. Sunlight streamed in through the frosted windows and into the rippling blue waters at Roy’s feet. A row of handsome wooden lounge chairs sat on one side of the room next to a bubbling hot tub.

“There’s a phone in the corridor should you need anything,” Alfred offered him. “Enjoy your swim.” He stepped outside the room and shut the door behind him.

Roy noticed someone splashing in the pool already. He quickly pulled off his clothes revealing a bathing suit underneath. Roy rubbed his hands together with glee, all the while taking steps back away from the pool.

“You didn’t ask for it, Dick, but you’re going to get it.” He charged forward and took a flying leap. The boy tucked his head down, his knees into his chest, and screamed, “CANNONBALL!”

SPLASH!

His body submerged itself into the deep sparkling waters of the pool..and bumped into someone else when he spread his arms out. Roy swam his way up to the surface in search of his friend.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” a voice spoke up. Roy nearly got water up his nose. This person was certainly not Dick Grayson.

He wiped wet bangs out of his face and started to tread water until he heard the person right behind him and swim around to face the newcomer.

“You’re a girl!” he shouted.

“Really. You just noticed.” She adjusted her black ponytail while swimming towards the wall. “Thanks for not smashing me into a pulp, by the way.”

He laughed lightly, cheeks burning slightly when he looked at her. She was very pretty: large sky-blue eyes, rosy cheeks, cute turned up nose, and a firm voice that made her sound much tougher than a timid little girl.

“Sorry about the cannonball,” he apologized.

“Roy!”

The door of the pool room pushed open and Dick walked in wearing a robe over his bathing suit. “Didn’t expect you so soon. This is my good friend, Donna Troy. Donna, meet Roy Harper.”

“Pleased to meet you.” He paused. “Good friend, as in ‘very’ good friend or just good as in ‘good’ friend?”

“Good friend as in ‘good enough’ friend,” she answered.

“Good enough for what?”

“Good enough to invite me here on a cold winter day.”

“Color me relieved,” Roy grinned. He watched Donna prop herself up on the side of the pool and dangle her feet lazily in the water. She looked dynamic in that bright red swimsuit of hers and twinkling star-shaped earrings in her ears.

“D’you have a boyfriend?” he blurted out.

Donna cocked an eyebrow at him. “Would it matter if I did?”

“I guess not.” He splashed backwards in the pool. “I’d still ask you out on a date.”

“What if I had strings attached?” she said with a small smile.

“Cut ‘em off. I’d make you very happy.”

Dick watched Roy’s futile courtship on the sidelines with a shake of his head.

“Hey, Dick. Did our spell ever work?”

He leisurely walked over to Donna and Roy and sat down without putting his feet in the pool. “No, I actually kind of lost it. But hey—everything worked out ok.”

“Bruce dumped her?”

“No, I kind of got used to her.”

“Dick!” Roy looked horrified.

“She didn’t turn out as bad as I thought she was,” Dick said slowly. “I think she’s going to stick to her side of the bargain and not tangle between Bruce and me as long as we respect each other. And she promised not to send me off to Switzerland,” he added.

“Is that why Mr. Wayne isn’t here today?” Donna said.

“Yup. He’s on a date with Selina Kyle.”

“So...this date could take all day, right?” she smiled.

“I guess it could. They love going out with each other.”

“Which reminds me: you and I need to work on our relationship,” Roy announced, putting a hand on Donna’s wrist.

She jerked it off amusingly. “Relationship? I just met you five minutes ago!”

“Long enough for me. I work fast when it comes to matters of the heart,” he said proudly.

“Well that just shows how little you know about women,” Donna announced firmly. She whirled on the other boy and gave him a kind smile. “Would you mind passing my towel, Dick?”

“Sure, Donna.” He handed her a blue and white striped towel, which she gratefully accepted. Donna got out of the pool and dried herself off, smiling at him the entire time.

“Thank you, Dick. You’re such a gentleman.”

Roy was still watching her as she tied the towel around her waist and walked back into the house.

“Huh,” he muttered, sliding back into the water to the tip of his nose. “How come you get all the luck, Dick?”

“She’s just doing it to make you jealous. I’ll introduce you two better after lunch,” he promised.

Roy popped himself out of the water like an exploding torpedo. “Really?” he blurted out. “You’re the best, Dick.”

“What are friends for?” Dick grinned at him.

“Super. I’ll sweep that Wonder Girl off her feet before she knows what hits her.”

“I heard that!” Donna yelled through the door. “And you’re the last boy I’d ever go out with in the entire universe!”

“Stupid Cupid,” Roy muttered under his breath.

Dick burst out laughing.

THE END